Most Statistics About Nigeria By IMF, World Bank Are Wild & Unrealistic – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has taken a swipe at World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other foreign agencies, saying most of the statistics the present about Nigeria are wild and unrealistic.

Buhari stated this during a meeting with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) on Wednesday, October 9, 2019.

He charged the economic advisory council to come up with data and statistics that will show a true reflection of the state of affairs in the country.

The president also told members of the PEAC to avoid recklessly and not well thought out policies and be free to co-opt and consult knowledgeable persons that can add value to their assignment. He said:

“As you develop your baseline study, I would like you to focus on primary data collection.

“Today, most of the statistics quoted about Nigeria are developed abroad by the World Bank, IMF and other foreign bodies. Some of the statistics we get relating to Nigeria are wild estimates and bear little relation to the facts on the ground. This is disturbing as it implies we are not fully aware of what is happening in our own country.

“We can only plan realistically when we have reliable data. As you are aware, as a government, we prioritized agriculture as a critical sector to create jobs and bring prosperity to our rural communities.

“Our programmes covered the entire agricultural value chain from seed to fertilizer to grains and ultimately, our dishes. As you travel in some rural communities, you can clearly see the impact. However, the absence of reliable data is hindering our ability to upgrade these programmes and assure their sustainability.”

On the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs), the President told members that his administration was working to measure the impact of the programme targeted at improving the well-being of millions of poor and vulnerable citizens.

As such, he said he had directed the new Minister for Humanitarian Affairs to commence a comprehensive data-gathering exercise in all Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the North East

“Today, we hear international organizations claiming to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on IDPs in the North East. But when you visit the camps, you rarely see the impact.

“In 2017, when the National Emergency Management Agency took over the feeding of some IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, the amount we spent was significantly lower than the claims made by these international organizations.

“Therefore, actionable data is critical to implement effective strategies to address pressing problems such as these humanitarian issues. I, therefore, look forward to receiving your baseline study as this will help us shape ideas for a sustainable and prosperous future.”

Meanwhile, President Buhari has directed the stoppage of the salary of any Federal Government staff that is not captured on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform by the end of October 2019.

According to him, the directive has been issued to stop the salary of any Federal Government in a bid to manage personnel cost.